AP National News

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has imposed fresh sanctions on dozens of officials linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Two top North Korean defense officials, a military unit blamed for an attack on a Kyiv children’s hospital and the heads of companies in the energy sector have been targeted. Measures have also been imposed

Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz faced a confidence vote in the German parliament on Monday that he was expected to lose, paving the way for the European Union’s most populous member and biggest economy to hold an early election in February. Scholz’s unpopular and notoriously rancorous three-party government collapsed on Nov. 6

AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Kane Brown’s fourth studio album, “The High Road,” is his favorite to date, the country superstar tells The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. It features more genre-detouring and more collaborations, including songs with EDM DJ Marshmello, Khalid, Jelly Roll, Brad Paisley. It also has two new duets

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and the Pentagon said Monday that some North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region. These are the first reported casualties since the U.S. and Ukraine announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government has approved the sale of Royal Mail’s parent company to a Czech billionaire, paving the way for the postal service to pass into foreign ownership for the first time in its 500-year history. Authorities confirmed Monday that the 3.6 billion-pound ($4.6 billion) takeover of Royal Mail’s owner, International Distribution Services,

Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Amnesty International says Serbia’s secret service and police have been spying on journalists and opposition activists by installing spyware on their mobile phones. The report published Monday is backed by testimonies of those who claim their phones have been hacked in recent months. Amnesty says the spy software was

Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union nations have set out conditions for lifting sanctions on Syria. They want guarantees from Syria’s new leaders that they are preparing for a peaceful political future where extremism and former allies Russia and Iran can play no role. The new leadership has yet to lay out a clear

MILAN (AP) — A major rescue operation is underway in a cave northeast of the Italian city of Bergamo to free a woman who was injured in a fall and became trapped while exploring with eight other people. Ottavia Piana, 32,  remained blocked deep inside the Bueno Fonteno cave, where the temperatures were ranging from

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed a proclamation establishing a national monument honoring the late FDR-era Labor Secretary Frances Perkins. Perkins was the first woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet and was a driving force behind Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs that followed the Great Depression. Biden made the

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The archbishop who is due to take temporary charge of the Church of England is facing calls to resign over his handling of the case of a priest accused of sexual misconduct. The BBC reported Monday that Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell let a priest remain in his post despite

NEW DELHI (AP) — Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first overseas visit since assuming office that focused on shoring up ties as concerns grew over China’s influence in the region. Modi said Monday that India and Sri Lanka will establish electricity grid connectivity and

Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — More than 45,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants, health officials in the embattled territory said Monday, as often-stalled ceasefire negotiations appeared to be gaining ground. Qatar, Egypt and the United States have renewed efforts to broker a

Associated Press MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — France is rushing rescue workers and supplies to its Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte after the island group off Africa was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. Authorities fear hundreds and possibly thousands of people died when Cyclone Chido leveled entire neighborhoods on Saturday. Mayotte is

AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans hoping for lower borrowing costs for homes, credit cards and cars may be disappointed after this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. The Fed’s policymakers are likely to signal fewer interest rate cuts next year than were previously expected. The officials are set to reduce their benchmark rate, which affects

Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad says he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago but the Russian military evacuated him from their base in western Syria after it came under attack. “I did not leave the country as part of a plan as it was reported earlier,”